Faculty Mentoring Award goes to distinguished professor Riffe

UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Richard Cole Eminent Professor Dan Riffe received the faculty mentoring award from the Carolina Women's Leadership Council.

The award, which carries a $5,000 stipend, recognizes three outstanding faculty members who go the extra mile to guide, mentor and lead undergraduate students, graduate students or junior faculty members as they make career decisions, embark on research challenges and enrich their lives through public service, teaching and educational opportunities. Riffe was honored for mentoring graduate students.

A graduate student said, “I feel incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Riffe as a mentor and a supporter, especially given that I am not his advisee. It is clear that he does all of this for me because he cares about me as well as my future — not because he is required to.  Dr. Riffe possesses the perfect balance of intellect, experience and kindness. He has a wealth of knowledge and continually helps me improve my work while always being overly thoughtful and approachable.”

Riffe joined the school in 2008 as the first Cole Eminent Professor. His teaching and research areas include mass communication theory and research methodology, mass communication and environmental risk, international news, government-press relations, citizen journalism and the treatment of women and minorities in the media.

The Carolina Women’s Leadership Council created the awards in 2006. Council members continue to support the awards, which are open to tenured and tenure-track faculty, as well as fixed-term faculty who have taught at UNC for at least three years. Nominations may be submitted by anyone from the UNC community, including current and former faculty, staff and students.